A 21 year old male laborer was electrocuted when his hand contacted a 4160 volt power service line. The employer was a painting contractor in operation for 15 years with 50 employees. The victim was a general laborer doing sandblasting who had been employed with the company for 1 month. The company had no written safety policy. At the time of the accident the victim was sandblasting air conditioning units at a large textile manufacturing company. The painter was spray painting each unit after it had been sandblasted. The victim finished blasting one of the units and was told to break for lunch. He removed his dust/mist respirator, sandblasting hood, and leather gloves and entered the power enclosure either by climbing over the fence or by walking around on the parapet wall, sitting down on the roof under the power line. His left hand contacted one of the energized power line conductors and he was electrocuted. It was recommended that electrical installations be adequately guarded to prevent unauthorized access, and that the employer develop a safety program designed to recognize and control hazards.